But after seven days, not a single seed had sprouted.
Di Yao grew increasingly discouraged.
On the tenth day, she planned to dig up the soil and replant, but to her surprise, a few tiny green shoots had emerged. They were so small that if she hadn't looked carefully, those hard-won seedlings would have easily been overlooked.
Di Yao jumped for joy, then rushed to the front yard, shoved open Wei Xunzhou's door, and dragged him out, her voice brimming with excitement.
"Husband, the wheat sprouts! They've really grown!"
Wei Xunzhou let her pull him to the backyard. The once barren soil now showed faint green shoots, though far fewer than the seeds planted.
Those shoots were too insignificant, too fragile. Contrary to her joy, he felt more troubled than before.
A worry Di Yao was unaware of.
He knew that from sprouting to maturity, there was a long road ahead. Even in the Mortal World, crops could fail due to various circumstances, let alone in the Underworld, so different from the mortal realm.
And he also knew that the reason no one had ever grown food in the Underworld for millennia lay in the soil, not the water.
Because he himself had destroyed the soil of the Underworld.
"Husband, aren't you happy?" Di Yao noticed his expression.
"Happy." He added after a pause, "Congratulations."
His answer caught her off guard. She had asked about his own feelings, not his reaction to the seeds' sprouting.
He seemed to have misunderstood her.
With her bright almond eyes, Di Yao stepped closer and blinked. "I never expected to hear you comfort me. That's rare."
She wasn't stupid; she could see the discomfort on his face. But she didn't want to pretend, because if things continued like this, both of them would grow weary.
Her intention was to find a topic to keep the conversation going, not to seek approval.
Wei Xunzhou wasn't used to being called out so directly and didn't know how to respond.
"Husband, don't feel compelled to accommodate me for fear of disappointing me. I just wanted you to know how I feel right now." She kept watching his expression. "Of course, it would be even better if you could share your true thoughts and feelings."
Her eyes sparkled like the stars in the night sky of the Mortal World—bright and playful.
Wei Xunzhou knew that since planting the seeds, Di Yao had been tending to them in the backyard whenever she had free time. He understood her feelings, but he couldn't empathize.
That was his own problem.
But he couldn't explain that to her; he couldn't bring himself to say it.
"You're overthinking." His tone showed a hint of impatience.
Di Yao's mouth drooped. So, she had been reading too much into things.
She was about to say something to ease the awkwardness, but Wei Xunzhou didn't even glance at her as he turned and left.
She made a funny face at his back and rubbed her nose, which had been metaphorically snubbed.
After the wheat sprouts emerged, Di Yao visited the backyard even more frequently. Although she couldn't make the sprouts grow faster, she could encourage them.
All things have spirits, and the Underworld was no exception, filled with ghosts and spirits. While watering, Di Yao would tell the sprouts stories or sing to them, finally begging them in a maternal tone to grow healthy and strong.
But some things couldn't be achieved by words alone, and some issues wouldn't disappear just because she chose to ignore them.
Seven days later, the wheat sprouts turned black.
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Author's note: Unless unexpected, next chapter will be posted the day after tomorrow. See you then [let me see]